text:
Adani Power says resolution plan for GMR Chhattisgarh approved
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 26 (ANI): A consortium of lenders led by Axis Bank has issued a letter of intent approving Adani Power's resolution plan to acquire controlling equity stake and restructure debt in GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Limited (GCEL).
The resolution plan was submitted by Adani Power in response to an invitation issued on behalf of the lenders of GCEL, seeking bids for the acquisition of controlling equity stake and restructuring of debt of GCEL.
Post the transaction, Adani Power will hold 100 per cent equity stake in GCEL. Of this, 52.38 per cent stake will be acquired from the lenders, and the balance 47.62 per cent from the GMR Group, the company said in a statement.
GCEL owns an operational 1,370-megawatt supercritical thermal power plant at Raikheda in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh. The plant consists of two units of 685 MW each, commissioned in June 2015 and April 2016.
After the approval of the resolution plan by the committee of creditors of Korba West Power Company Limited (KWPCL) on April 8, Adani Power had announced the receipt of the letter of intent for KWPCL, which owns a 600 MW thermal power plant at Raipur.
The acquisition of GCEL and KWPCL will consolidate Adani Power's position as India's leading private sector thermal power producer with a combined capacity of 12,410 MW.
The company said the developments reaffirm its credentials in development and operation of greenfield projects and successfully turning around brownfield acquisitions. (ANI)


The BRIC nations – Brazil, Russia, India and China – are losing some of their attractiveness, and multinational companies have started to look for the next global growth hot spots, research by Ernst & Young and the Economist Intelligence Unit suggests.
The BRICs are still major players in the world economy, but challenges of doing business – slowing GDP growth rates, rising inflation and labour costs, infrastructure shortfalls and bureaucratic hurdles – are looming larger than in the past decade.
Rapid-growth markets. Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam are among the hot spots with the most potential, according to E&Y. Up to 39% of the executives in the poll said rapid-growth Asian economies other than China and India are highly important to their companies' bottom lines in the next three years.
The three Southeast Asian countries scored high for their openness to cross-border trade on the E&Y's 2012 globalisation index. Malaysia ranked 26th overall, just behind the US. Vietnam came in 36th, and Indonesia placed 57th out of 60 countries, mainly because of lower broadband penetration, less internet access and bigger cultural challenges.
Other rapid-growth markets that are becoming attractive to businesses are Mexico, South Africa and Turkey. Survey respondents pinpointed access to nearby markets as the biggest competitive driver for the three markets. Also important were Mexican labour costs, political stability in Turkey and technology infrastructures in South Africa and Turkey.
Developed markets. Companies from around the world remain focused on Western European markets, which are among the most globally integrated in the world, according to the E&Y globalisation index. Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK ranked in the top ten. Germany, France, Austria and Spain made the top 20.
Thirty-nine per cent of the executives polled considered Western Europe a highly important developed market. Asian developed markets were important to 37% of respondents. North America was highly important to 32% of respondents.
Hong Kong and Singapore topped the report's 2012 globalisation index. Taiwan came in 17th; Japan was 43rd; and Canada ranked 15th.
Long shots. Only three countries in Africa were listed on the E&Y globalisation index – Egypt (42nd), Nigeria (55th) and Algeria (59th) – and the scores of all three changed little from the previous year. Still, countries and regions in Africa have the potential to become some of the most attractive places in the world for investment, according to E&Y's report.
Other markets the report listed that have potential but are long shots are Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.
Picking new markets to invest in isn't easy. But rigorous and disciplined strategic planning, execution and learning increase the likelihood that the next big bet will be successful, according to the E&Y report.
Settle on a handful of investments that offer the best promise of growth.
Pick emerging markets in different stages of development to balance their investment portfolio.
Prepare for start-up losses and other short-term volatility.
Keep an eye on the bottom line and remain flexible to change course midway.
Tailor products in new markets to local customer needs.
Form close relationships with local officials and communities.
Manufacture locally or establish regional supply chains.
Empower local managers to make decisions.
Use global and local data to fuel planning.
A majority of survey respondents acknowledged that technology can support and enhance this approach. The survey found that companies plan to markedly raise technology investments – 71% to increase business intelligence and analytics, 64% to boost mobility solutions such as smartphones and 57% to improve business process management.
"CFOs Worldwide Become More Cautious About Where to Invest Internationally": In the past year, CFOs worldwide have become less optimistic about the future success of their companies' international expansion plans, a survey found. Discover which seven countries best meet their reduced risk appetite.
"Mid-Size US Companies Continue to Look for Greener Pastures Abroad": With the US economy still relatively sluggish, mid-size US companies are increasingly looking for opportunities to boost revenue overseas, a KPMG survey shows. Canada and Europe top their list of preferred locations, followed by China, Mexico and India.
"Foreign Investors Keep a Close Eye on Middle East": The Middle East has many qualities that draw foreign investors. A survey suggests that companies worldwide are keeping a close eye on investment opportunities in the region. But the survey also explains why many companies still hesitate to take the plunge.
"Succeeding in the CIVETS": Enviable growth and compelling demographics make Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa, together known as the CIVETS nations, markets to be reckoned with.


Using unique technology which makes false alarms less likely, the Nittan EV-DP Dual Optical Detector analyses particle size to differentiate between smoke, steam, dust and aerosols. Giving more reliable detection, these are suitable for areas of multiple occupancies like hotels, flats and hospitals.
Featuring Infra-Red and blue LEDs, the angled sensor which only receives the light when reflected off smoke entering the chamber which then activates the alarm. And with sensor self-test function, and drift compensation which prevents slow environmental changes affecting its performance, the detector ensures even more reliability.
The 360°, Omni-view LED, shown in the picture as the red ring, shows when the alarm is activated, or flashes to show it is communicating with the control panel, although this is controllable.


text:
11 of The Dumbest Liberal 'Hot Takes' on COVID-19
Fake News News
11 of The Dumbest Liberal 'Hot Takes' on COVID-19
A "global pandemic" is a weird time for everyone but liberals are really taking it to a new level. Here are the top 11 dumbest things liberals have had to say on the COVID-19 situation:
Banksy's dumb grafiti art on the London Tube
The cleaners removed all of this garbage and the left flipped out. The rule is that no graffiti in the tube. Being rich and famous doesn't exempt you from rules even though the left apparently thinks it should. The person who cleaned this off did the right thing. Also Banksy is lame and a cultural appropriator. Also again: Banksy is lame.
The dumb notion that a disease with a 1% mortality rate should prevent care of all other diseases
First off: If a disease has a 30% mortality rate (like Breast cancer) patients with that disease should never take a back seat to patients suffering from a disease which has a 1% mortality rate. It makes zero sense. And yet the government halted mastectomies and cancer treatments for new patients in most states. Second of all: The part of "eat the rich" and "down with the 1%" is suddenly very concerned about the impact of the loss of 1% of the population. And lastly: COVID-19 doesn't have a 1% mortality rate and also mortality rate doesn't mean 1% of Americans will die that would assume that every single American gets the virus. And even if you did catch most Americans have a risk of death still under 1%.
The dumb idea to keep schools closed
According to the Mayo Clinic and the CDC data – less than 2% of confirmed cases are school aged children. Children who contract COVID-19 experience incredibly mild symptoms much like a cold they might otherwise ignore (fatigue, cough, aches etc). So first of foremost – any school closure has nothing to do with the health and safety of children. And if liberals keep pretending it is – guess what? Homeschooling has always been an option if they want to stay home. But lots of parents cant stay home and many low income students or students from troubled backgrounds rely on school for essential needs like food or warmth/air conditioning. Not to mention their future outcomes.
The health and safety of teachers and parents also does matter – but according to the CDC wearing a mask and standing six feet from the source of illness lower risk of contraction by significant margins. Why is it easier for teachers to instruct from a video camera than in the classroom wearing a mask standing six feet from the front desks? Is a no hug policy so difficult in exchange for ensuring the futures of America's youth? Is it really the kids that matter? Closing schools is a dumb take.
The dumb idea that government health officials are less capable of lying or being wrong than other government officials
Attention leftist morons: The CDC and all its functions are technically all part of the Trump Administration. The data is going from one part of the Trump administration to another part of it. In fact, its now going directly to the Department of Health and Human Services who overseas the CDC already. All government is government. And hospitals have been straight up lying so the data needs better oversight. Trusting certain government officials over others is dumb. Especially when one part actually belongs to the other. Super dumb.
The dumb idea to ban gatherings except BLM protests
Banning the freedom of assembly is dumb to begin with. But to ban freedom of assembly and forcibly enforce that ban on funerals and social gatherings but then allow protests is extra dumb. Bill De Blasio went X-games level dumb by banning freedom of assembly in the name of public health except SPECIFICALLY Black Lives Matter protests. Certain political ideologies change the nature of viral spread? This bizarre hypocritical type of policy is a nationwide trend. Its supreme dumb.
The dumb targeting of Florida
Its true that the state of Florida is experiencing a case spike like other states in the country. But their mortality rate remains very low comparatively and FPF already covered the scandal of their hospitals inflating case reporting. Plus – when you compare Florida's spikes to liberal states like California and New York – they're right on par and yet I don't hear the dumb liberal twitter hoard calling for Cuomo's or Newsom's resignation. Florida is not different than any other highly populated state. Singling out Florida is dumb.
The dumb business closures
It is always dumb close businesses. There are no circumstances where it is the ethical, practical or legal thing to do to invoke emergency powers to close businesses for longer than the duration of a hurricane. It is even more stupid to decide certain businesses are safe if people stay six feet apart but others are not safe if they can manage the same parameters. Even deeper into stupid is to finally reopen thoses businesses, apply new safety regulations, then close bars and bars only with no regard to good and bad actors or ability to follow the rules.
So now according to liberals, if a bartender hands a patron a beer and a sandwich they are more safe from COVID than if he'd only handed him a beer. Or in some cases they're shutting down the entire entertainment business again because being six feet apart at a hardware store is somehow safer than six feet apart at a dining table. Stupid.
9. The dumbest belief that having COVID-19 is "trendy"
I don't want to straight call people liars, but I do find it very surprising that so many celebrities who have claimed to be quarantined and following safety rules ended up having COVID-19. Statistically speaking its pretty unlikely that their individual mansions got hit this hard. More likely a bunch of leftists decided it gave them more credibility and victimhood to claim they'd tested positive for COVID so some just decided to say they did. Even if they did really have it they all weirdly celebrated it with elaborate long social media posts and virtual press tours. Its weird. Its dumb.
10. The dumb critiscm of the President and Vice President when they do or do not wear masks
The President and Vice President are tested every single day. Everyone who is in contact with them is tested. They are the two people in the world least likely to need a mask. They also do wear masks if they have back to back appointments with those outside the White House. It is insanely stupid to criticize them for not wearing a mask for the sake of perception only. Perception is not reality. Reality is reality.
And finally the dumbest take of them all…
11. The dumb blame of President Trump
Not only did President Trump close our borders as soon as the virus was declared a pandemic in China – against the wishes of liberals and the mainstream media – but he also immediately set up a taskforce to address the issue. He commissioned two Naval ships to manage hospital overruns (that of course never came to fruition and never will) and totally closed American borders before any other country in the world – all of which have now followed suit. It is stupid beyond measure to hang a viral incident on the neck of a politician of any kind. The government cannot and will not ever be able to save us from illness. But its particularly stupid in the case of COVID-19 and President Trump.
DUMB!
Where's The COVID-19 Data Going Now? The Answer Will Blow A Liberal's Mind
This MSNBC Host Just Can't Stop Lying
WOAH! Is Joe Biden Ready To Change The Definition Of 'Vaccinated' To Include Booster Shots?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
New Ways to Optimize Your Operations
Better manage risk & compliance
Business Process-as-a-Service (BPaaS)
Digital Strategy & Transformation
Innovation and Strategy
Insight Driven Enterprise
Operations Transformation
People & Organization
Capgemini Ventures
World's Most Ethical Companies® recognition
Rugby Sevens
Latest Annual Reports
Portugal Offices
Capgemini and Fraunhofer IAIS lead study in Quantum Machine Learning for IT security commissioned by the German Federal Office for Information Security
Date icon November 4, 2021
BONN/ST. AUGUSTIN/PARIS, November 4, 2021 – The German Federal Office for Information Security has commissioned Capgemini and the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems IAIS to conduct a study on Quantum Machine Learning (QML) in the context of IT security. Under the scientific leadership of Professor Christian Bauckhage from Fraunhofer IAIS, a joint team will investigate key security-related issues for the first time.
Quantum Machine Learning aims to optimize classical machine learning approaches by utilizing quantum informatics. The core objective of the study is to identify the threats and potential of QML at an early stage in order to use the findings to actively and securely shape digitization in Germany. It will examine the vulnerability of QML methods and their applications to new forms of cyberattack.
Another element of the study is the threat posed by QML to classic IT security systems. It will address whether there are novel attack vectors or a significant increase in the efficiency of existing attacks. The study also aims to answer the question of opportunities for IT security through QML, using QML to defend against attacks and strengthen IT security.
"Until now, there hasn't been a study like this that summarizes all currently relevant QML methods, evaluates them in terms of their practicality for the coming years, and discusses QML in the context of IT security," said Prof. Dr. Christian Bauckhage, Lead Scientist Machine Learning at Fraunhofer IAIS.
Frank Jacobsen, Head of Public Sector at Capgemini in Germany, adds: "Quantum computing will be one of the predominant innovation drivers for IT in the future. This makes it all the more important to address today the risks and opportunities for classic security architectures that arise from the combination of the mega trends toward the use of artificial intelligence and quantum computing."
About Fraunhofer IAIS
As part of the largest organization for application-oriented research in Europe, the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems IAIS based in Sankt Augustin near Bonn is one of the leading scientific institutes in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Big Data in Germany and Europe. With its more than 300 employees, the institute supports companies in the optimization of products, services, processes and structures as well as in the development of new digital business models. Fraunhofer IAIS thus shapes the digital transformation of our working and living environment.
About Capgemini
Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of over 300,000 team members in nearly 50 countries. With its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2020 global revenues of €16 billion.
Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com
File size: 99.28 KB File type: PDF
Social Media House Rules


text:
Home Opinion Editorial Editorial: Never say your vote doesn't matter
Editorial: Never say your vote doesn't matter
The Whit Staff
Say what you want about the results of Tuesday's presidential election, but never say your vote didn't matter.
In Wisconsin, a state assumed to vote blue throughout the election, President-elect Donald J. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by just 1 percent – just 27,257 votes according to Politico. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson took 3.6 percent from the state, good for more than 100,000 votes, enough to flip the state in Trump's direction.
In Pennsylvania, another state assumed to be safe Clinton territory until the final days of the race, Trump won by 1.2 percent – just 68,236 votes. There, Johnson won 2.4 percent of the vote and had more than 142,000 ballots cast in his favor. Again, Johnson's voters could have overwhelmingly altered the course of the election.
In New Hampshire, a state which currently shows Clinton ahead, the former secretary of state pulled in 47.5 percent to Trump's 47.3 percent, the difference being just 1,437 votes. Green Party candidate Jill Stein won over less than one percent of the state's voters, still enough for more than 6,000 votes. If Stein's voters were forced to choose one of the two main party candidates, they could nearly decide the state without considering the other millions of votes.
The point here is not that voters who opted for a third-party candidate helped or hurt one candidate or another. But is instead to showcase how close these results really were, how close they were to going a different direction, and how just a fraction of a percent of the population can decide an election.
Your vote counted. It may have pushed Trump to further victory, or brought Clinton a stone's throw from the White House. But, they indisputably and undeniably mattered.
In the weeks leading up to the election, Trump repeatedly undermined the results of U.S. election. In mid-October Trump tweeted that "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary – but also at many polling places – SAD." During rallies held throughout the late stages of his campaign, Trump repeated the claim and others like it, calling the system "rigged" and saying that on Nov. 8 there would be massive voter fraud committed across the country in an effort to defeat him.
Whether the results of 2016's election were the one's you were rooting for or not, they should be proof enough that the system in which we operate is not rigged. The sentiment of the American people is felt and is heard and it leads to change when enough people agree. Otherwise, a candidate accused of sexual assaulting more than 10 women, disavowed by the country's leading economists, and endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan, wouldn't have been elected the next president of the United States.
Trump's victory is symbolic, just as his supporters had claimed it would be since he announced his running during the summer of 2015. For his supporters, he is a symbol of change and of displeasure with the Washington elite class. But for the entire nation, it is symbolic of the fact that his very own rhetoric, of a system rigged against him and the futility in some cases of a vote in his favor, was wrong.
Your vote mattered on Tuesday.
It mattered because if it was cast for Trump, it gave him razor thin leads in crucial states that propelled him to victory. It mattered because if it was cast for Clinton, it pulled your candidate within inches of the finish line in the most crucial of contests. And it mattered if it was cast for a third-party candidate, because had you cast it in another direction, there could be a different winner standing on the world's biggest stage.
Your vote matters, and the system is not rigged. Half of the country got what it wanted, and half didn't. Unfortunately, that's how elections almost always play out. But take solace in the fact that your vote was counted, and it mattered when all was said and done. In this beautiful country, you should be more certain of that than anything else. If you can find no other good from the results, or the vitriol that was this campaign, keep in mind just how important you really are, and how much America continues to count on you and your vote.
For questions/comments about this article, email editor@thewhitonline.com or tweet @TheWhitOnline.
Previous articleSeason in Review: Field Hockey
Next articleRowan men's soccer hosts first and second rounds of NCAA tournament
Editorial: Rowan Continued to Succeed This Semester Despite Unique Challenges
Opinion: My Unfiltered and Honest Greek Life Experience
Rossen: Looking Ahead at a Biden Presidency With Cautious Optimism
Chris pittarelli November 10, 2016 at 7:38 pm
What about Alaska? The announcement was made before their polls closed? And Arizona? They still have not been reported


text:
Q: Is bit field a way of aligning data? From the cppreference
#include <iostream>
struct S {
    // will usually occupy 2 bytes:
    // 3 bits: value of b1
    // 2 bits: unused
    // 6 bits: value of b2
    // 2 bits: value of b3
    // 3 bits: unused
    unsigned char b1 : 3, : 2, b2 : 6, b3 : 2;
};
int main()
{
    std::cout << sizeof(S) << '\n'; // usually prints 2
}

Why is that 2 bits unused?
Couldn't be just:
unsigned char b1 : 3, b2 : 6, b3 : 2;

Is this a way of padding?
Could anyone explain me if (if I am not wrong) this bit fields actually change the size of the variable or they are just a "suggestion" for the compiler? (as inline keyword). If bit fields works as I understand, you would be able to stor a boolean on 1 bit (which is not possible because the memory is splitted on chunks of 1 bytes)

A: The example on cppreference just tells that there is no guarantee in the standard that bitfields are mapped to adjacent memory regions, although most sensible implementations would do that. An code snippet provided deliberately uses an unnamed bitfiled of 2 bits to request two bits from the storage - and just showcases that bitfileds could be unnamed. This makes the total number of bits required to represent this structure 14.
14 bits could be packed into 2 bytes (16 bits), so this is what is expected of an average implementation - but it is not guaranteed to be happening.
Last, but not the least, if you find yourself in a position of using bitfields on a struct, think not twice, but triple. There are very few scenarios when they actually provide advantage, so you need to be sure you are dealing with one of those.

A: The example you quoted is being used to explain that multiple bit-fields are usually (not necessarily) packed together. If you look at it more carefully:
    // 3 bits: value of b1      - 3 bits occupied
    // 2 bits: unused           - 2 bits left unused
    // 6 bits: value of b2      - 6 bits occupied (these 6 can't fit into the previous byte
                                as 5 bits are already occupied. What will happen in this
                                case? Will these 6 bits go into the next byte? Will they
                                somehow *overlap* two bytes?
    // 2 bits: value of b3
    // 3 bits: unused

If the result of sizeof(S) == 2 is true, then we can say that the field b2 is straddling bytes. The example is trying to explain this concept.
The example is not so clear at explaining this, so let me create a slightly better one:
struct S {
    unsigned char b1 : 3, : 2, b2 : 6, b3 : 3;
};

The difference is b3 is now 3 bits. Total bits of the struct = 3 + 2 + 6 + 3 = 14. If I print the sizeof (S) now, I get, 3 as output which tells me there is no byte straddling on my system.
Furthermore, You can find this at the bottom of the page:

*

*Everything about the actual allocation details of bit fields within the class object

*

*For example, on some platforms, bit fields don't straddle bytes, on others they do

*Also, on some platforms, bit fields are packed left-to-right, on others right-to-left

Could anyone explain me if (if I am not wrong) this bit fields actually change the size of the variable or they are just a "suggestion" for the compiler? (as inline keyword). If bit fields works as I understand, you would be able to stor a boolean on 1 bit (which is not possible because the memory is splitted on chunks of 1 bytes)

Almost everything about bit-fields is implementation defined so to get the correct answers you will have to look at each compiler's documentation and read the ABI documents to get the answer. For example, this is from GCC docs:

Whether a bit-field can straddle a storage-unit boundary (C90 6.5.2.1, C99 and C11 6.7.2.1).
Determined by ABI.

If we look at the assembly generated for GCC 10.1, we can see that the bit-fields are actually being used:
        # b1: 1, b2: 61, b3: 3

        sub     rsp, 24
        mov     eax, -767
        lea     rdi, [rsp+14]
        mov     WORD PTR [rsp+14], ax

The number -767 in binary:
b3  b6    b1
11 111101 00000001

boolean on 1 bit

The answer would not be complete without mentioning std::vector<bool> which tried to do this, but it turned out that it was not such a great idea.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This is exactly how we want to remember the summer!
Catch me if you can! Bebop Corgi puppies love to play tag, and also love to chase the camera! It's been harder to film them lately!
Looking for fairies in Val di Mello! Wonderful autumn walk in this beautiful valley, surrounded by colorful leaves. The pond's crystal clear waters mirrors the mountains perfectly. The sunlight dances in the camera lens cutout drawing green and yellow spots: floating and twirling like woods fairies.
Bebop Corgis love playing with balls! Outside is raining, so, to entertain the Corgi family, we decided to play inside! We realized we have so much toy balls of different types, colours and shape!
We spent a nice morning, playing with our 3 corgis. Penny, Cora and Paul had a great time in the dog agility park!


MOOPYFATE - THE FINAL - RESULTS!
MoopyFate: Final vote - RESULTS AT 8PM - VOTE NOW!
MOOPIES GOT TALANT: The entries: VOTE NOW!
Moopy Family Fortunes (MoopyFate Special) - The Results!
MoopyFate Challenge 4: Family Fortunes Special - CLOSED!
Moopy! Take this poll please.


text:
Bindi's tattoo honours father, daughter
Steve Irwin
7 January 2022, 12:38 pm ·1-min read
Australian-American television personality, conservationist and zoo operator
Australian environmentalist and television personality
Bindi Irwin has unveiled her new tattoo, which has been made using her late father's handwriting and honours her own daughter.
Wildlife expert Steve Irwin died in September 2006 at the age of 44 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb.
His 23-year-old daughter's tattoo reads "graceful warrior", which were the words she said to her baby daughter when she "held her for the first time".
The conservationist and TV personality gave birth to Grace Warrior Irwin Powell on March 25 2021 - the first anniversary of Irwin's marriage to Chandler Powell.
In an Instagram post, Irwin wrote: "The words I spoke to our daughter as I held her for the first time in my arms were 'My graceful warrior'. That's how her name was born.
"This is my dad's handwriting to keep him with me, always. Our dear alligator, Daisy, is next to these words to represent our conservation work as Wildlife Warriors."
The post continued: "And my beautiful wedding ring in bloom. Validation every day of the three most important things in my life: family, purpose and unconditional love.
"Since Grace's breastfeeding journey ended, now felt like the perfect time for this empowering artwork."
Powell commented underneath the post: "Such gorgeous artwork. You amaze me every day. Each one is meaningful to mark this special time in our life together. Also, the Florida in me loves the alligator. Love you so much."
Last year Irwin paid tribute to her late father, sharing a photo of them together and writing: "Your legacy will live on forever. I love you for even longer."
The Singapore-inspired idea for using super for housing that could cut costs 50%
shutterstockDuring the past four decades in which home ownership among Australians aged 25-34 has sunk from around 60% to 45%, home ownership among the same age group in Singapore has climbed from around 60% to 88%. There's a good chance that's because Singapore is doing something right. What Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, provides mortgages, and allows buyers to use their
ACT reports 1860 COVID-19 cases, one death
A woman in her 80s has died from COVID-19 in the ACT, as the national capital reported a one-day record for cases.The woman died at a residential aged care facility in Canberra, bringing the ACT's pandemic death toll to 20.
Woman hospitalised after all-you-can-eat sushi feast
Danielle Shapiro had acid reflux after the feast Source: TikTok/ Danielleshap
Marcos pursues Philippines presidency bid
The Philippines' election commission has thrown out a petition seeking to bar the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos from running in this year's election, one of several complaints filed to prevent his presidential bid.The petition had sought to invalidate the candidacy of Ferdinand Marcos Junior, who has emerged as a clear favourite, after accusing him of misrepresenting his eligibility because of a prior tax conviction.
Widow's disturbing long Covid warning: 'It started mild'
A US filmmaker and long Covid advocate has warned of an impending 'explosion' of Covid long-haulers. Read the personal story behind his concern.
Tas drops rules for vaccinated travellers
Tasmania is removing coronavirus testing and travel registration requirements for fully vaccinated people arriving from interstate.Premier Peter Gutwein announced the change would be in place from midnight on Tuesday.
BBC boss opposes commercial funding
A BBC funded purely by commercial means would fail to serve a universal British audience in the way it does now, its boss has warned, after the government questioned whether its public funding model should continue in future.Formed in 1922 to educate, inform and entertain, the BBC creates global, national and local radio, online content and television for mass audiences while also catering to those users who fail to have their interests served by commercial outlets.
Lone Qld region remains free of COVID-19
A remote Queensland region that champions camel races and the mysterious Min Min Lights now has another claim to fame.Boulia in the state's far west is officially the only local government area to not have recorded a case in Queensland's COVID-19 surge.


We are located at the previous site of Brighton Station built in the late 1840's. Now, almost 60 years later, we celebrate the timeless cultures and traditions of this community while embracing a new era of urbanism in all of Boston's unique neighborhoods. Out of our scratch kitchen comes a mix of modern and classic New England cuisine including dry-aged steaks, fresh local seafood, and "comfort food done well." At our spacious bar you'll find Bostons' only Barrel-Aged Cocktail bar and a wine list featuring top producers from around the world. No matter where you find yourself seated, you'll take in our warm and welcoming atmosphere, barrel-vaulted ceilings, antique chandeliers, and seating inspired by vintage railroad boxcars.
Available for small parties, business meetings, showers and other special occasions, our Brighton Hall private dining room can accommodate up to 30 guests. With a private bar and custom menus available, our private dining room is perfect for those looking for a more intimate setting with classic detail and modern design.
Keep updated on what's going on.


text:
WE ARE PUNISHING WOMEN AT THEIR MOST VULNERABLE
Posted on August 16, 2018 by writehanded
AND NOTHING'S CHANGING. This weekend is the Green Party AGM. That means it's been exactly a year since Metiria Turei went public with the lies she'd told in order to survive as a beneficiary. Have we progressed since then? Or have we just forgotten?
As we all know, Metiria's choice to stand up resulted in her resignation, an outcome she obviously predicted. It made a powerful statement -the fact that a woman could lose her job, even years later, because she contravened Work and Income's rules.
Let me very clear about something: I am bored of this conversation. I am so bored of it that writing this piece has been something close to excruciating. And I'm not bored because it doesn't affect me. No. I'm bored because it affects me every day of my life.
I talked to a lot of people while writing this. I ummed and aahed about how and where to publish it. It is such an indescribably vital thing to be talking about, and I wanted as many people as possible to see this, but I didn't want to give up editorial control. Because this sort of narrative can so easily become what amounts to an extended headline for a nasty, seething comments section.
This is not an extended headline. This is not click-bait, this is not an opportunity to use vulnerable women's stories to illustrate a point. This is my attempt to draw together some voices that might help demonstrate the depth of the issue, again, and ask what's being done about it.
So, onwards to point one: Women are affected more by benefit "sanctions."
What Metiria did was give a very public platform to a voice that so often gets silenced. It's not that we're not talking. It's that our voices are already marginalised. Single mothers. Women with disabilities. Maori and Pacifica women. Ours are the voices that get lost. Ours are the voices that are sent back to the kitchen.
What Metiria did was give this conversation a gender. The sanctions that the Ministry of Social Development uses as scare tactics, to control, and to punish – many of these impact women more than they impact men. This is because:
Women are more likely to be solo parents.
Women are more likely to be caring for high needs or elderly family members.
Women's earning potential is less, and the gender pay gap means they earn less for the same or more work.
Women are more likely to be the victims of domestic violence and abuse.
I took a look at the Safety Net Policy that is part of the Green Party Confidence and Supply Agreement, to see which bits are relevant to women and might be starting to see the light of day.
Increase all core benefits by 20 percent
Increase the amount people can earn before their benefit is cut
Increase the value of Working For Families for all families
Create a Working For Families Children's Credit of $72 a week
Remove financial penalties and excessive sanctions for people receiving benefits
Here's part of the questions I put to Marama Davidson (Green co-leader), Jan Logie (Welfare Spokesperson), and Julie Ann Genter (Minister for Women):
As far as I know, core benefits have not increased, the amount people can earn before their benefit is reduced has not increased, and financial penalties and excessive sanctions have not been removed.
Does the removal of penalties and sanctions include removal of docking people's benefits when they are in a relationship? Women's earning potential is less, therefore this affects us far more, and can lead to being convicted of fraud, or things like financial dependence on an abusive partner.
Also because women's earning potential is less and we are paid less, we are more impacted by the docking of every dollar earned, over $80/wk. We pay tax on the benefit, secondary tax on any income, then WINZ takes a chunk of every dollar over $80 – and that's gross income, not net, so they're effectively taking a chunk out of money we don't even see. The outcome is working very hard and ending up with very little.
HAVE WE MADE ANY PROGRESS?
Radio New Zealand has reported that sanctions were down 20% compared to the same period last year. In the three months to June, there were just over 12,200 sanctions, a drop of more than 3000.
That's still over 4000 people per month.
I wonder if this represents the number of people sanctioned "correctly" – as welfare advocate Kay Brereton tells me that since the disputes process got put in place following the 2013 reforms, 90% of sanctions that are disputed get removed.
"Most of the time people have been slapped with a sanction unfairly – Work and Income's process is to apply the sanction if they think a problem has occurred, then remove it if it is disputed. So the onus is on the beneficiary to prove themselves not guilty."
Kay tells me that more single men are sanctioned than women, however far more single mothers are sanctioned than men.
Kay, who is a member of the Expert Advisory Group the government has appointed to make recommendations on changes to the welfare system, says in her work as an advocate she sees many mums who don't eat so their children can.
"Women have to navigate things like what "a relationship" actually means, and at what stage to declare it [and get their benefit cut]. It's a big risk to take, for them and their children."
"There is also so much pressure on solo parents to work, which has created an immense amount of stress and fear. People see the rules as being different for everyone. There is no income security, everything is a threat.
It's the threat of sanctions that's affecting people more than the sanctions themselves."
DO YOU FEEL THE THREAT?
I talked to women who are either on benefits, or received Working For Families. The unanimous answer was yes. Yes, they are afraid. Yes, they are worried about the future, about doing something wrong, about receiving a financial punishment they can't afford.
ONE: A single mother, with chronic illness, working 30hrs a week against medical advice. She receives WFF, and is too worried about being sanctioned to apply for a disability or accommodation allowance.
Have you ever been sanctioned by WINZ?
Yes I have. And I was given incorrect information which lead to IRD becoming involved. And the misinformation lead to a break down of trust between myself and my ex-husband when IRD. started its process to claim child support.
Does the fear of sanctions cause you significant concern?
How does it impact your life and choices?
Without the working for families I wouldn't make rent. Going over the threshold by a small amount impacts hugely. In my line of work the increases are never going to meet the amount I stand to lose.
TWO: A single woman with a permanent disability, who says that the threat of sanctions has severely impacted her interpersonal relationships.
Ok so there was a while there where 3 times in six months I got letters from the 'Integrity Intervention Unit' saying they were going to stop my benefit and that i'd possibly be facing legal action because they had miscalculated the amount of hours I was allowed to work. They kept making the same mistake so the last time it happened I said 'how do we stop this from happening again' I went and had an appointment and they figured out it was just a box that they hadnt ticked… Two of those times I actually had my benefit completely stopped and had to call a bunch of people to figure it out, and everyone I got passed to had no idea what was going on. In my total time on the benefit i've had six Integrity Intervention Unit letters threatening action and not one of them have been for legitimate reasons.
It was terrifying every time. At the very least sometimes it meant I missed rent payments because they had cut my benefit off and I hadnt received a letter saying why yet. At worse I thought I was going to have to go to court for something I didn't do and everyone would label me as a benefit cheater.
I would love to have a partner but I know that at some point i'm going to have to have the tricky conversation with them about them having to support me financially in order for us to stay together. This places a huge amount of stress on a new relationship and has meant that one relationship has even ended because they did not want to go to WINZ and put all of their info on file and then be responsible for my finances. I was constantly worried and staying awake at night thinking I was going to be sanctioned and sent to court for having a boyfriend. As a disabled person I find it really hard to be independent when a potential partner is also seen as a 'carer' who manages the money. I think the system is based on a way that relationships worked in the past and has not taken into consideration that a lot of partnerships independently manage their finances now.
SO WHAT DO THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE DECISIONS HAVE TO SAY?
Marama Davidson, Green Party Co-Leader said
"Our welfare system should be one based on supporting and helping people to have decent lives, not punish them. All that sanctions do is push people further into poverty and desperation.
"Benefits aren't enough to live on as it is, and benefit sanctions punish the people who can least afford it.
This hurts women more – because women are still doing the bulk of childcare and we're still discriminated against in employment. We have to end the demonisation of women for being poor, having kids, and needing help.
That's why the Greens have campaigned hard to end all benefit sanctions, and we're working within the Government to address this, starting with the most excessive sanctions."
Jan Logie, Green Party Welfare Spokesperson said:
"Many aspects of the welfare system impact more on women. Women, particularly marginalised women, are more likely to be in low-paid and precarious work. They are vastly more likely to be in fulltime caring roles, and are significantly more likely to experience family violence. More women have disabilities. This unequal impact needs to be taken into account when designing solutions."
"Transforming our welfare system can't be done overnight, but we know that too many people are struggling to cover the very basics at the moment. While we are impatient for change it is still a relief to see Work and Income start to initiate work to restore the dignity of clients at Work and Income offices. The decision to require benefit suspensions be signed off by a second senior official has resulted in benefit sanctions dropping by a fifth in just a matter of weeks. This is progress, but too many people are still unfairly losing the support they need."
"Every New Zealander should have a decent life, not just scrape by. Our Safety Net policy is about repairing the damage that multiple governments have done to our social welfare system – which should ensure nobody lives in poverty. That's work the Green Party is pushing for through our Confidence and Supply Agreement, which commits to an overhaul of the system."
Julie-Anne Genter, Minister for Women said:
The Government can do more for women on benefits, such as ensuring that women are getting what they're entitled to. I know that the Minister of Social Development Carmel Sepuloni is focused on ensuring our welfare system works for all, including mothers and children, and will take this into consideration.
Some single mothers face barriers returning to work and navigating the benefit system. Investing in mothers, especially when they are the only adult and income earners within families, is how we address child poverty. Everyone benefits from improving the economic independence of these women – not just themselves, but their families and broader society."
So– what did Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni tell me?
"I am absolutely committed to seeing the repeal of Section 70A progressed given the harmful impact it has on 13,000 sole parents, primarily women, and their children.
From Auckland Action Against Poverty: "We are calling for the removal of Sections 176, 177, 178 from the Social Security Legislation Rewrite Bill. These sections impose a weekly sanction of $22 or more on beneficiary sole mothers who have not identified the father of their child. This sanction (in its current form of Section 70A of the Social Security Act) is putting into further hardship families already struggling to survive."
"This Government said before the election that we would repeal section 70a during this term. That commitment hasn't changed. It will happen.
"We have made our priorities absolutely clear and we are committed to addressing these over the next three years, including to overhaul the welfare system to ensure it is accessible and fair for all New Zealanders. I have established a Welfare Expert Advisory Group to provide advice on the broader overhaul of the Welfare System, including areas such as sanctions and obligations, and income adequacy – but also to gain a better understanding of how best to enable people to be earning, learning, caring or volunteering and ensure a dignified life for those for whom these options are not possible.
"In particular, we need to consider carefully how we work with, and support women to thrive, given they represent around 57% (57.1%) of all working age beneficiaries.
"But in the meantime we will continue to make progress on some more immediate changes to the welfare system, as there are system improvements we can make here and now, without legislative change, that make sense, and make people's lives better."
TO SUM UP:
Do we have confidence in the coalition government to follow through on these promises and ensure long-term change? I'm not sure that I do. By this point, I'm not "once burned, twice shy" I'm "my house has been reduced to ash and I've left the country." Do you know what I mean? If you've been a woman beneficiary for any length of time, I think you do. There's hope, because we need to hope, but there's also hoping blindly, and I don't think any of us are doing that.
I sound cynical, and I am. I have had promises made to me before, literally to me as an individual as well as in the wider context of politicians talking to beneficiaries. I've also been the shoulder for many of my women friends, while we listened to empty speeches, while we made difficult decisions about how to protect ourselves and those we love, and while we tried to make sense of the utter shipwreck of the current system.
I look up to many women members of the Green party. One of the reasons I chose not to write this for any particular media outlet was because I cannot be an objective journalist on this topic. I look up to them, and I want to believe what they're saying. I really deeply believe that it cannot go on like this. That we cannot address poverty, that we cannot address mental health, and that we cannot address women's rights in New Zealand without this being a major part of the conversation.
I hope that it's on the agenda for the weekend's AGM, and beyond.
Something has to give, and women beneficiaries have nothing left.
This entry was posted in About illness, Feminism, Financial hardship, Politics by writehanded. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
Q: How to apply mix-blend-mode while keeping text opaque? I need some help recreating this in CSS (if possible) :

And here is what I have so far:

.bg {
  background-image: url('https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1501706362039-c06b2d715385?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1070&q=60&ixid=dW5zcGxhc2guY29tOzs7Ozs%3D');
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
  background-position: center center;
  padding: 100px 50px;
}

.text {
  background: #ed1c24;
  mix-blend-mode: multiply;
}

.text p {
  font-family: "Helvetica";
  font-weight: bold;
  font-size: 32px;
  color: #fff;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 40px;
}

      These artistic movements were a refelection of the million of people who lived and worked here. To them, "I ❤ NY" could be read as a rallying cry.

There is a div with a background image and overlaying that div is another one with a red bg color and mix-blend-mode: multiply on it. It looks like the color blend is working correctly, but is there a way that I can make the white text be unaffected and an opaque solid white like in the example image?

A: You may use pseudo element and apply mix-blend-mode: multiply on it like this :

.bg {
  background-image: url('https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1501706362039-c06b2d715385?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1070&q=60&ixid=dW5zcGxhc2guY29tOzs7Ozs%3D');
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
  background-position: center center;
  padding: 100px 50px;
}

.text {
  position: relative;
}

.text:before {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  top: 0;
  right: 0;
  left: 0;
  bottom: 0;
  background: #ed1c24;
  mix-blend-mode: multiply;
  z-index: 0;
}

.text p {
  font-family: "Helvetica";
  font-weight: bold;
  font-size: 32px;
  color: #fff;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 40px;
  z-index: 2;
  position: relative;
}

      These artistic movements were a refelection of the million of people who lived and worked here. To them, "I ❤ NY" could be read as a rallying cry.


text:
#include <kernel/kassert.h>
#include <kernel/kmem_slab.h>
#include <kernel/hash.h>
#include <kernel/arch/arch_asm.h>
#include <kernel/vfs/vfs_mount.h>
#include <kernel/vfs/vfs_node.h>

// Number of hash table buckets is 1.5 times the number of available VFS nodes
#define VN_AVAIL_MAX             (1024) // 1024 vfs_nodes in circulation
#define NUM_BUCKETS              (VN_AVAIL_MAX + (VN_AVAIL_MAX << 1))
#define VFS_NODE_HASH(mnt, id)   (hash64_fnv1a_pair((uint64_t)mnt, id) % NUM_BUCKETS)

typedef struct {
    lock_t lock[NUM_BUCKETS];      // RW lock per bucket
    list_t ll_vnodes[NUM_BUCKETS]; // A list for each hash table buckets
} vfs_node_hash_table_t;

vfs_node_hash_table_t vfs_node_hash_table;

// Slab for vfs_node_t
#define VFS_NODE_SLAB_NUM (1024)
kmem_slab_t vfs_node_slab;

vfs_node_t vfs_node_template;

list_compare_result_t _vfs_node_find(list_node_t *n1, list_node_t *n2) {
    vfs_node_t *v1 = list_entry(n1, vfs_node_t, ll_vnode), *v2 = list_entry(n2, vfs_node_t, ll_vnode);
    return (v1->id == v2->id && v1->mount == v2->mount) ? LIST_COMPARE_EQ : LIST_COMPARE_LT;
}

void vfs_node_init(void) {
    // Setup the slab for the vfs_node_t structs
    kmem_slab_create(&vfs_node_slab, sizeof(vfs_node_t), VFS_NODE_SLAB_NUM);

    // Initialize the hash table
    arch_fast_zero(vfs_node_hash_table.ll_vnodes, NUM_BUCKETS * sizeof(list_t));
    arch_fast_zero(vfs_node_hash_table.lock, NUM_BUCKETS * sizeof(lock_t));

    lock_init(&vfs_node_template.lock);
    vfs_node_template.id = 0;
    vfs_node_template.flags = 0;
    vfs_node_template.refcnt = 0;
    vfs_node_template.mount = NULL;
    vfs_node_template.mounted_here = NULL;
    vfs_node_template.parent = NULL;
    vfs_node_template.object = NULL;
    vfs_node_template.type = VFS_NODE_TYPE_REG;
    list_init(&vfs_node_template.ll_clean);
    list_init(&vfs_node_template.ll_dirty);
    list_node_init(&vfs_node_template.ll_vnode);
    list_node_init(&vfs_node_template.ll_mnode);
    list_node_init(&vfs_node_template.ll_nnode);
    list_init(&vfs_node_template.ll_nc_refs);
    list_init(&vfs_node_template.ll_nc_prefs);
    // FIXME default ops?
    vfs_node_template.ops = NULL;
    vfs_node_template.data = NULL;
}

vfs_node_t* vfs_node_get(struct vfs_mount_s *mnt, vfs_ino_t id) {
    // Lookup hash table for existing node
    uint64_t hash_bkt = VFS_NODE_HASH(mnt, id);

    lock_acquire_shared(&vfs_node_hash_table.lock[hash_bkt]);

    vfs_node_t n = { .id = id, .mount = mnt };
    list_node_t *node = list_search(&vfs_node_hash_table.ll_vnodes[hash_bkt], _vfs_node_find, &n.ll_vnode);
    vfs_node_t *vn = list_entry(node, vfs_node_t, ll_vnode);

    lock_release_shared(&vfs_node_hash_table.lock[hash_bkt]);

    // If it didn't exist in the hash table then allocate a new vfs_node object and add it to the hash table
    if (vn == NULL) {
        vfs_node_t *vn = (vfs_node_t*)kmem_slab_alloc(&vfs_node_slab);
        kassert(vn != NULL);
        *vn = vfs_node_template;

        lock_acquire_shared(&vfs_node_hash_table.lock[hash_bkt]);
        kassert(list_insert_last(&vfs_node_hash_table.ll_vnodes[hash_bkt], &vn->ll_vnode));
        lock_release_shared(&vfs_node_hash_table.lock[hash_bkt]);
    }

    vfs_node_ref(vn);

    return vn;
}

void vfs_node_put(vfs_node_t *vn) {
    kassert(vn != NULL);

    lock_acquire_exclusive(&vn->lock);
    vn->refcnt--;

    if (vn->refcnt == 0) {
        // Remove it from the hash table
        uint64_t hash_bkt = VFS_NODE_HASH(vn->mount, vn->id);

        lock_acquire_shared(&vfs_node_hash_table.lock[hash_bkt]);
        kassert(list_remove(&vfs_node_hash_table.ll_vnodes[hash_bkt], &vn->ll_vnode));
        lock_release_shared(&vfs_node_hash_table.lock[hash_bkt]);

        kmem_slab_free(&vfs_node_slab, (void*)vn);
        return;
    }

    lock_release_exclusive(&vn->lock);
}

void vfs_node_ref(vfs_node_t *vn) {
    kassert(vn != NULL);

    lock_acquire_exclusive(&vn->lock);
    vn->refcnt++;
    lock_release_exclusive(&vn->lock);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


While perusing another blogger's site, I came across this information which might be of importance to Google Gmail users.
On Tuesday Google updated its privacy policies to make it absolutely clear that it is scanning your email.
When you upload,or otherwise submit, store, send or receive content to or through our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content.
This information comes at an interesting time. Google is being sued over email scanning, in a suit from 2013, where the plaintiffs allege that Google violated wiretapping laws by scanning the content of emails, Ars Technica's Casey Johnston reports.
At the risk of being called a cynic by my husband, and you, I must confess to being one. Can I at least blame it on having lived and worked in NYC for more than a decade?
Just before he went to bed, I spoke with my husband about my experience with Twitter today. Half asleep since it was almost midnight, I expected his eyes to grow bigger by the minute as my tale unfolded. Instead, tiny wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes. I'm sure he delighted in telling me that I'd made the mistake, and that the brouhaha of which I posted earlier was another one of my lapses into New York cynicism.
I'd forgotten that I'd opened my Twitter account using my husband's email address. Why, I don't recall and neither could he. No wonder my email address and password didn't work. Duh?!? So there! I admit to my egregious mistake, and may Twitter and Helah Chester @helahcobtendy forgive my trespasses. Mea culpa! Mea culpa!
Thank goodness my husband and I have funny bones. We had a good laugh, albeit at my expense.
…you can stop laughing now…hugmamma.
Almost a month has elapsed since I spent my days blogging away contentedly. I must admit my neck, back and shoulders got a much needed break from the long hours I'd spend hunched over my laptop keyboard. If your eyes have been glued to your computer screen in recent days trying to digest my thriller about bedbugs, then you'll understand my long absence from hugmamma's mind, body and soul. Let's just say I was out making memories, however forgettable I wish they were. At my age you'd think I'd have enough life experiences not to need more to feel like an adult. I thought 61 years was a pretty solid foundation upon which to rest my laurels. But apparently not.
Since my daughter's apartment, both of them actually, were in total disarray, and because we were faced with the overwhelming task of moving her furnishings out of storage, and sanitizing everything before moving them into her new place, blogging was the furthest thing from my mind. Besides which we tried not to spend more time than was necessary where the bedbugs resided, the old apartment. Unfortunately, that's also where the internet was still hooked up. Not until a new desk we'd purchased was assembled and in place, did my daughter want to relocate her computer and cable connection. All this to say I couldn't blog even if I'd wanted to do so. I'm sure you'll understand when I say…that was the last thing on my mind.
So I thank each and every one of you who continue to make me feel my words are of value. I'm unable to publicly recognize all, for there are those who subscribe via particular posts, and friends and family who subscribe via email, neither of which I'm capable of reproducing below. But know that I include you, about 90, among the following WordPress subscribers whose gravatars I am able to show.
..how can i go wrong…with so many friends who…"have my back"…hugmamma. 🙂 …mahalo nui loa…aloha from the bottom of my heart!!!


Arabescato Vagli incorporates white and light grey areas with darker grey veining details. We are pleased to offer this engaging marble in a honed, polished or brushed finish and in a variety of tile sizes. Our new pre-cut marble slabs are available in this material and the finish options allow for use in floor and wall interior applications.


text:
Home > Opinion > Fountain
Fact or fabrication?
Historical fiction fever is on the rise. A narrative genre that melds fiction with historical fact, it has taken international culture by storm for the past few years.
Behind this boom is a change in our perception of history. French sociologist and historian Raymond Aron once said, "Historical understanding is from the beginning a reconstruction. There is no historical reality that we can simply faithfully reconstruct."
As the lines between history and fiction begin to blur, there are even those who view historical narration no longer as truth, but generalized literature.
There are case in which fiction writers have challenged historians.
"The Da Vinci Code," which presents a subversive alternative to Western Christian tradition, says that "the history we know is definitely not a trustworthy book."
Fans have also praised this questioning of history.
"History is fabricated and fabrication is historicized," said literature critic Park Jin. Park wrote that fiction "is a narrative genre dominant in our age together with science fiction and fantasy, indicative of the post-modern sensibility and cognitive situation."
He asked, "If a historian is the individual who endows the structure of a composition to a historical flow that has no beginning and end and transcribes it into a probable story, then couldn't fiction writers just as well become historians?"
Of course, fiction is often entangled in disputes over whether it has distorted history. The argument is stronger if one believes that clear and absolute facts exist.
Some Korean historical fiction only borrows the name of a real person or sacrifices minimal historical conformity for dramatic fun. An example is the young prince in the KBS drama "The Great King Sejong" being kidnapped from the street in daylight.
The hit drama about Joseon Dynasty painter Shin Yun-bok "Painter of the Wind," is embroiled in a dispute over historical distortion. Ahn Hwi-joon, head of the Cultural Properties Committee, criticized the drama, saying, "Making Shin Yun-bok a woman dressed as a man is clearly wrong and will give people the wrong picture about history."
But some assert that it is in this impertinence of imagination, boldly turning over a historical fact that everyone knows, that lies the popularity of the drama.
It is the era of historical fiction. History may already be not that of those who record, but imagine. Furthermore, don't we live in an era where, as Hollywood location expert Bill Bowling said, "The greatest country in the world is the country of imagination"?
The writer is a deputy culture and sports editor of the JoongAng Ilbo.
By Yang Sung-hee [shyang@joongang.co.kr]
More in Fountain
The vicious cycle of collapse
Composure: a qualification of adults
Good hair, bad politics
Get ready for meme war
A little thin on the top


text:
CoinIndia
Sold - Colonial Coins
BRITISH INDIA, BOMBAY PRESIDENCY: Silver rupee in the name of Shah Alam II (1754-1759), issued 1832-35 in Bombay, first issue of the new Bombay mint!
Obverse Legend, naming Shah Alam II and listing AH date 1215 (= 1800-01 CE)
Reverse Legend, including mint name Surat, mintmark 5-petalled flower with stem and regnal year 46
Weight 11.62 gm.
Die axis 7 o'clock
Reference Pridmore 286, KM 678a
Comments This is the first issue of the new Bombay mint, which commenced operations in 1832 and continues to this date. The coin is full of fictions. Issued in the years 1832-35, it lists as the date AH 1215, which corresponds to the years 1800-01! It is issued in the name of Shah Alam II, who had died in 1806, and lists his regnal year of 46, which corresponds to AH years 1217-18, thus conflicting with the listed AH date of 1215! Finally, it names as its mint Surat, even though it was actually issued in Bombay! All of these fictions are so appropriate for a coin issued by a powerful colonial power, whose presence is formally indicated only by the 5-petalled flower at left on the reverse, in the name of a puppet Mughal emperor!
Precio SKU: 485.15


Download and install the IrisBG App Manager on a Windows computer where IrisBG desktop already is installed.
After installation, please follow these steps to activate your licenses.
Start the App Manager and complete the details to submit an activation request to the IrisBG team.
We will process your activation request as soon as we can. Please note that this may take up to 24 hours depending on time difference and public holidays.
When the activation request has been processed, you will receive an activation code to be used for your smartphones and tablets.
Before proceeding, make sure all relevant app users have their email address filled out in their IrisBG personnel record.
Upon receving the activation code, start the App Manager and upload your first App Dataset to the IrisBG App Service.
You can now start the App on a device, select "my garden", fill in the activation code and email address.
You will receive a pin code via email to be used to login on the App. You can change the pin code in the App settings.
Visit the online help for more details on how to use IrisBG Handheld and IrisBG App Manager.


text:
Saeed Ajmal reported for suspected illegal bowling action
Monday, 11 August 2014 - 16:33
Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has been reported with a suspected illegal bowling action during his side's seven-wicket loss in the first Test match against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium on Sunday.
The match officials' report, which was handed over to Pakistan team manager Moin Khan on Sunday, cited concerns over a number of deliveries that were considered to be suspect and concluded that the bowler's action needed to be tested.
Ajmal's bowling action will now be scrutinised further under the ICC process relating to suspected illegal bowling actions reported in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He is required to undergo testing within 21 days, and, during this period, Ajmal is permitted to continue bowling in international cricket until the results of the testing are known.
Details of the ICC regulations for the review of bowlers reported with suspected illegal bowling actions can be found here.
Source: ICC Cricket
Rashid stars in comprehensive beating of Bangladesh
21 September 2018 - 10:52 am
Malinga disappointed with performance
20 September 2018 - 2:44 pm
Sri lanka kicked out of the Asia cup
18 September 2018 - 9:15 am


California was the first state in the country to establish teacher tenure law in 1921.
Current state law mandates that teachers gain tenure in California after completing a two-year probationary period during which time they can be dismissed for poor performance by their school district.
Once tenured, teachers gain a degree of security in their positions and can be dismissed only for just cause. State law dictates conditions under which a tenured teacher can be dismissed including unsatisfactory performance or misconduct. Low student achievement is not included as a condition for dismissal.
It would raise the amount of time new teachers must wait before they are covered by job protection rules from two years to five years for a certified position.
It would also allow the school district to dismiss an employee after two consecutive unsatisfactory performance evaluations.
Programs offering academic credit for paid internships have new appeal.
Takach, a communications major who is also an editor at Drexel's student newspaper, is enrolled in the school's five-year "co-op" B.A. What this means is that this month, in her sophomore year, Takach begins a six-month stint working at Philadelphia's Chamber of Commerce for $442.50 a week. She will continue in this way–six months of paid work in an organization related to her field of study, six months of classes–until she graduates in the spring of 2012.
Drexel has 1,600 firms and organizations participating in its work-and-study program, the biggest of which are Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT – news – people ), Siemens (nyse: SI – news – people ), Comcast (nasdaq: CMCSA – news – people ), GlaxoSmithKline (nyse: GSK – news – people ), Lockheed Martin (nyse: LMT – news – people ), Motorola (nyse: MOT – news – people ), Sunoco (nyse: SUN – news – people ) and Johnson & Johnson (nyse: JNJ – news – people ).
Most of the university's 13,197 undergraduate students, says Peter Franks, executive director of Drexel's Steinbright Career Development Center, are drawn to the 91-year-old co-op program, covering 73 majors, because they believe the practical, mostly paid internships built into their college degree give them a competitive advantage when they are looking for a job after graduation.
The school offers four- or five-year versions of the B.A./B.S. work program, and claims 50% of its students are offered full-time jobs after graduation by one of their co-op employers. Over a third of Drexel's alumni take up these offers.
"The co-op allows students to make better career decisions, because they have tried different kinds of jobs while at school," says Franks. It also gives employers a chance to kick the tires of prospects. Drexel has retained 85% of its employer-partners during these hard times.
But in this sobering moment in history, co-op programs like Drexel's are not just good job-procurement programs for graduating students. They can also be an attractive way for students and their families to defray costs while in college.
A year of room and board (but not food) in Drexel's five-year program costs Takach $39,437. According to the university, Drexel's work-study program generates for students, on average, an additional $14,500 per six-month work stint.
The rising cost of college and plunging stock market have combined to create a disparity between what some of the 18 states' prepaid tuition plans have on the books and what they're supposed to pay. The worst case is in Alabama, where the sour economy has sliced off nearly half of the fund's assets, and state officials are telling parents the full cost of college isn't a sure thing.
Among the other states with fewer assets than anticipated liabilities are Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia and Washington. Seven of the 18 — Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia and Washington — back their plans if money runs short.
Many state plans are being hit from two sides. Their investments are dropping in value and public universities are raising tuition by higher-than-normal amounts because the economic downturn is shrinking state funding for higher education.
West Virginia's plan stopped letting people enroll their children more than four years ago. Its investments have lost $23 million since July 1, or nearly 27 percent of their value.


This is what a timeless classic looks like: GLINT combines the distinctive style of period apartments with the modern urban Berlin lifestyle. Distinguished entrances, high ceilings and sophisticated design merge with smart technology that facilitates cutting-edge sustainable living while still leaving room for personal preferences. A range of layouts and designs are available at this Berlin property: from stylish studio flats to elegant 100-square-metre residences and impressive rooftop apartments with a private terrace and views across the Berlin skyline. Our sophisticated Berlin-Mitte apartments will enchant you!
Rooftop, residence, studio: Discover the different GLINT apartment styles and experience the convergence of late 19th century elegance with state-of-the-art comforts.
For those who set their sights high and seek freedom without limits: Rooftop apartments at GLINT.
GLINT consists of five buildings – and the different addresses are clearly visible on the façades. The addition of an extension fits in seamlessly, as the individual buildings are internally restructured to form a singular ensemble.
This is achieved primarily through the central courtyard, which is accessible from each building. The inner courtyard is elaborately landscaped and serves as a communal green oasis in the middle of the city.
First impressions matter – GLINT Berlin apartments combine historic elements with timeless elegance from the very first detail. Sleek floorboards make for a striking entrance: Made from smoked oak, they evoke nostalgic feelings, playing to the period style of the Wilhelmine era entrance areas and adding value and class to these privately-owned apartments. Thanks to the elaborate smoking process, the oak boards are exceptionally robust.
The living areas themselves are impressive with their open layout, remarkable ceiling height and sophisticated floor tiles by Cotto d'Este.
Ceiling-height glass swing doors open up the room even more, while natural wood windows fill the space with natural light. Their design is based on the location of the apartment: In the traditional period building section, the windows adopt the historical design; in the new structure, large windows dominate.
The bathrooms are the epitome of style: Golden brass fittings from the premium Danish brand VOLA complement matte black bathroom ceramics by Valdama from Italy. A feast for the eyes and senses, it highlights the attention to detail characteristic of these Berlin-Mitte apartments.


text:
OMG! Legend Rocker Tom Petty Dies At Age 66
Legendary musical talent, Tom Petty passes from cardiac arrest | Image Credit: Tom Petty / flickr.com
Tom Petty was found in his home after a cardiac incident and rushed to the hospital
Sunday, October 1, 2017, Tom Petty suffered cardiac arrest in his Malibu home. He had been through a great deal in his life and was ready to slow down. After he was found and brought to the hospital, Petty was placed on life support with a do not resuscitate order. Because doctors found no brain activity, he was taken off life support, and he peacefully passed on Monday, October 2, 2017.
Tom Petty grew up in Gainsville, Florida in 1950. He gained inspiration after visiting the set of an Elvis Presley movie. Following his visit, his father bought him a guitar, and he never let it go. With guitar in hand and a voice unmatched, Petty's style and talent didn't end with his musical abilities. Creatively writing lyrics and composing songs made his genuine talent. He knew it, and everyone around him knew it.
In fact, the record companies tried time and again to exploit his talent, but Petty wouldn't allow it. Bankruptcy followed a legal battle. It was the only way out of a contract that would tie him up for the rest of his life. However, the bankruptcy set a precedent for other musicians tied up with dirty record contracts. MCI tried negotiations with Petty, and they eventually came to a compromise.
Records and tours launched Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to fame and fortune
Petty began playing music in Gainsville with a group called Mudcrutch. Mudcrutch saturated their audiences and began to outgrow their live performances. Setting out for Los Angeles to record a demo, the group left Gainesville in their past along with the name Mudcrutch.
Petty wanted to record a solo album but didn't like the fill-in musicians. He found it more comfortable to play with his band. Ron Blair, Stan Lynche, Benmont Trench and Mike Campbell became the Heartbreakers. They all enjoyed playing together, and the sound was great. They produced hits, and the albums and tours kept coming.
Tom Petty had the privilege to collaborate with many other artists like Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dillan, Stevie Nicks and more. He sang with the Traveling Wilburys and wrote countless hits.
Still Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were as vulnerable to drugs and the hard rock lifestyle as any other band. They experienced their share of drug addiction, people of bad influence but somehow managed to survive. Petty admitted himself at one point to a detox facility to come down from Heroin. He now claims he owes his life to his wife of 16 years, Dana York. He and Dana never had children together.
Petty was married twice. His first wife, Jane Benyo gave him two daughters. Their divorce was the push over the edge which landed his addiction to Heroin. After his recovery, he poured his pain and heart into the next album Echo.
It was after Echo that the music industry landed total control over music and musicians. The focus on profit killed the muse. Touring for Petty and the Heartbreakers became a bigger sell than their albums. This is a sign that people still wanted to hear good music even though the industry was crushing.
Hypnotic Eye
In 2016 Petty released another album. This time the band did it for a reconnect, not for the money. Hypnotic Eye was their first Number 1 album, and they supported it with a tour around the US. After the tour Petty confessed: "It's very likely we'll keep playing, but will we take on 50 shows in one tour? I don't think so. I'd be lying if I didn't say I thought this might be the last big one. We're all on the backside of our sixties. I have a granddaughter now I'd like to see as much as I can. I don't want to spend my life on the road. This tour will take me away for four months. With the little kid, that's a lot of time."
Tom Petty will be missed. His contribution to an age of Rock and Roll certainly has rocked the world.
References: Independent, Rolling Stone, YouTube
Image Credit: Tom Petty / flickr.com
Leah Friedman


Start your day with the adventurous spirit of the Chloe Nomade Perfumed Shower Gel, a fragranced daily body wash.
Powered by adventure, the Nomade Perfumed Shower Gel will ensure that you see the beauty in every day. Infused with uplifting woody-floral facets and nourishing ingredients, the lathering shower gel will lavish your skin and senses in pampering care.
Create an unforgettable fragrance routine by layering with the Chloe Nomade Perfumed Body Lotion and Chloe Nomade Eau de Parfum.
Apply to damp skin in the shower, work into a lather, and then rinse thoroughly.


Minnesota farmers are among the world's best at producing and marketing high quality soybeans, and they pay attention to all aspects of the soybean industry. So does Soybean Business. Published six times a year by the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and direct mailed to more than 23,000 Minnesota soybean farmers, Soybean Business magazine covers Minnesota's soybean industry like no other.